Michael Jordan scored 29 points and Dennis Rodman grabbed 17
rebounds as the Chicago Bulls avenged their first and most
embarrassing loss of the season with a 97-87 victory over the
Boston Celtics, who have lost four straight games.

Antoine Walker collected 19 points and 12 rebounds and Bruce
Bowen added a career-high 16 points and five steals for the
Celtics, who had opened the season with a 92-85 home win over
the defending NBA champions, snapping an 11-game losing streak
against Chicago.

"We played the way we were supposed to play tonight. This team
has pride," said Harper. "That first game doesn't matter
anymore. We silenced them tonight. They were high-fiving in
the first game.

"We're ready now. We're in playing shape and we know what to
expect from guys now. We're starting to jell as a team."

Chicago shot 51 percent (38-for-75) from the field while Boston
managed just 35 percent (33-for-93). The Bulls overcame a
season-high 25 turnovers by outrebounding the Celtics, 50-44.

"It wasn't a good night for us," Walker said. "Bad shot
selection. They got a lot of points off turnovers. They came
in and played well tonight. They were tough all over. Their
bench, Michael Jordan, rebounding. Everybody contributed for
them. We cut the lead in the fourth quarter but couldn't get
over the hump."

Boston jumped out to an 11-10 lead with 6:55 left in the first
quarter following Ron Mercer's layup, but Chicago regained the
lead 30 seconds later on Kukoc's jumper. The Bulls closed the
quarter with a 25-18 lead, one they would not relinquish.

Chicago stretched its lead to 77-57 late in the third quarter on
a free throw by Kukoc.

The Celtics cut the deficit to 78-69 with a 9-0 spurt to start
the fourth quarter. Boston continued to chip away, and a
three-pointer by Dee Brown made it 89-83 with 39 seconds to go.
But Harper made four free throws down the stretch to help
Chicago pull away.

"We kept our composure, played an up-tempo style and we weren't
going to let that first game get to us," said Jordan. "We
remember the trash-talking and the high fives, and we weren't
going to let that happen again.

"We're starting to get it together with different players, but I
feel good that Scottie (Pippen) will be back with the team when
he's ready to come back from the injury."

With the possibility of Jordan's retirement looming, he was
asked about his memories of playing in Boston.

"As far as that goes, I have great memories of Boston. The
63-point game and all the games against Bird, McHale and Parish.
We got some leads in those games, but the Celtics always came
back in the fourth quarter no matter what."